Dear Students & SJAA Families,As we welcome a the new year at St. Joseph Arts Academy, we are jumping with excitement and anticipation for the musical journey that lies ahead. The start of a new year is not just a change in the calendar; it’s an opportunity for growth, advancement, and the pursuit of new musical heights.
This year, all are encouraged to set fresh goals for our musical endeavors. Whether you’re just starting out or an already advancing musician, the new year brings with it a chance to dedicate yourself to your craft with renewed vigor and commitment.
Now, with the winter season upon us, we may find ourselves facing unexpected school cancellations due to cold and snowy, Missouri winter days. Instead of seeing these cancellations as disruptions, let’s view them as opportunities to enhance our musical skills. Here are five ways you can make the most of your extra time off:
Compose a Winter-inspired Piece:
Take advantage of the cozy indoors and use this time to compose a piece of music inspired by the winter season. Whether it’s a calming melody or an upbeat tune, let the snowflakes outside influence your creativity.
Master a Challenging Piece:
Dive into that challenging piece you’ve been eyeing but haven’t had enough time to conquer. Use the extra hours to practice and refine your skills, overcoming musical hurdles with determination.
Virtual Jam Sessions:
Connect with your fellow musicians online for virtual jam sessions. Collaborate on new arrangements, share musical ideas, and stay connected with the joy of making music together, even when you can’t be in the same physical space.
Explore Music Theory:
Delve into the theoretical aspects of music during your snow day. Whether it’s studying new scales, understanding complex chords, or exploring the history of music, broaden your musical knowledge base.
Record and Reflect:
Set up a recording session at home and document your musical progress. Listen to your recordings, identify areas for improvement, and use this reflective process to refine your skills further.
BONUS IDEA
Just listen to music. New music. Old Music. Make a game of taking turns sharing favorite or new music with your family and friends. Get our the old records and tapes, use Alexa or YouTube and explore new (or old) composers, artists, bands, styles, one-hit-wonders, anything you can think of!! It’s fun and you’ll find some new (and old) favorites.
Let’s make this new year at St. Joseph Arts Academy a time of not just musical learning, but also a period of creative exploration and super-fun collaboration. Embrace the opportunities that come with the winter season, and let the beauty of music warm you up.
Wishing you all a safe, WARM and inspiring new year!
Let’s Make Some Great Music This Winter!
New PHOTO DAY @ SJAA Photos Added!
We are so happy to hang the latest addition to the St. Joseph Arts Academy’s treasure trove of memories – stunning heirloom-quality photographs captured by Tyler Osborn Studios during our annual Photo Day. The walls of SJAA now proudly display these snapshots of musical brilliance, featuring our talented students in moments of joy with their instruments.
The sparkle of their smiles and the passion reflected in each frame bring life to our walls and halls and create a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Tyler Osborn’s artistry has not only frozen these precious moments in time but has also elevated our space into a visual symphony of talent and dedication. Our “Wall of Fame” is a testament to the musical journey shared by our students, making SJAA a place where every note and every smile truly matters. 📸🎶✨ #SJAA #MusicalMemories #WallOfFame #TylerOsbornStudios
Private lessons spots are limited with our amazing coaching faculty at the SJAA but we still have room to grow. Thank you for referring your friends and family to the academy!
Upcoming & Special Events
Current Contests
Referral Contests for Current SJAA Students!
Refer a friend or a family member to the SJAA for private lessons and you’ll be registered for a drawing to WIN a PRIVATE Pizza or Ice Cream PARTY at the SJAA!
Share our referral card as a GIFT FROM YOU and they’ll get FREE registration and their First Lesson FREE (a $67 Value!) when they register for lessons. AND… you’ll both be registered for the quarterly referral contest for a chance to win a PRIVATE PARTY at the SJAA!
They WIN, you WIN and the SJAA WINS another great student JUST LIKE YOU! Thank you for sharing the SJAA with your friends and family!
Awards & Recognitions
The amount of 1st Recital, Book Completions & Practice Buddy certificates, awards and recognitions is simply incredible this season. Your students are working hard to accomplish their musical goals.
All get posted to our “Wall of Fame” on our Facebook Page.
Celebrations!
#MusicAccomplished
30 Day Practice Challenge… Sam L.!
Congrats to Sam, who practiced over 40 hours in November! We’ll give Sam a $25 Visa Gift Card. Every student who participated received positive recognition and a gift card from the SJAA!
Student of the Month Award
Our Student of the Month is…
EVEY Z.!
We are so lucky to have Evey and her family with us at the SJAA.
Besides her violin lessons with Mr. Brock over the past 2 years she loves the chance to perform. Evey loves her dance classes and is also a competitive gymnast who is making waves! She recently took home “1st place all-around” in her latest competition, winning in multiple events.
Evey’s a hard worker, a fantastic friend, and loves ice cream!
Her SJAA family is super proud of her hard work and dedication paying off.
We’ll celebrate her with an Amazon gift card for her! Way to Go, Evey!!!
Thank you, Evey for referring your friends and family to the Academy.
To be considered for Student of the Month, be sure to talk to your teacher about all your musical and extracurricular activities, share pictures and refer your fellow musicians to the academy.
Pet of the Month Award
Our October “Pet of the Month” goes to …
the SJAA’s dog, Ozzie! Thank you to the SJAA’s own founding family, the Riley’s for sharing a photo of your sweet fur baby. Each month, SJAA will select a pet to feature and a donation will be made to Friends of the Animal Shelter of St. Joseph and St. Joseph Animal Shelter in honor of all of our local pets in need. Share a favorite pic of your favorite pet and maybe they’ll be named the SJAA “Pet of the Month”! Bring on those adorable snapshots!
The SJAA Turns 6!🎉🎶 Celebrating 6 Years of Musical Magic at St. Joseph Arts Academy! 🎶🎉
January marks another milestone as we gratefully celebrate 6 incredible years in our commercial location! From our humble beginnings with 30 students in 2 studios, we’ve expanded and transformed into the largest private music school in Northwest Missouri.
🏢✨ Our journey has been nothing short of amazing, as we now proudly occupy the entire building with 8 private studios, a dedicated recital room, multiple cozy waiting areas, and a stellar faculty of 15 passionate instructors.
🎹🎸 To our 250+ families who entrust us with the musical education of their loved ones, thank you for being a part of our musical family! Your support and dedication have been the driving force behind our growth and success.
🎂 Happy Birthday, St. Joseph Arts Academy! Here’s to six years of strumming, thumping, grooving, swinging, riffing, crooning, many, many inspiring performances, and the countless musical moments that make us who we are. Here’s to many more years of making music together!
We’ve now reached over 40, 5-star Google reviews! So, thank you to everybody that put in their reviews. We so much appreciate it, but we want to get to 50 reviews. If you haven’t yet, please consider going to Goggle, giving us a review. We’d love your feedback and thank you so much again for helping us get over 25 5-star Google reviews.
If you need a schedule change or would to be added to a waiting for a particular teacher, please contact our office and we can add you to the waiting list. If you are not a student yet, there are still limited lessons spots available.
Addy Gabriel 7 Mondays
Andrew Holmes 430 Tuesdays
Anthony Glise 5 Fridays
Brent Isom 5 Wednesdays
Chris Bates 630 Thursdays
Claire Gerhardt 4 Mondays
Darren Verbick WAITING LIST
David Parker 430 Mondays
Jason Riley WAITING LIST
Jolie Riley WAITING LIST
Marina Gurnovich 330 Fridays
Monica King WAITING LIST
Reaganne Kovac 11am Saturdays
Terry Brock WAITING LIST
Tyler Boone 11 Saturdays
SJAA Classes/Courses – Private music lessons in Guitar, Piano, Violin, Cello, Voice, Ukulele, Drums, Mandolin, Banjo, Electric Bass, Trumpet, Strings, Early Childhood Classes, Group Guitar, Group Ukulele. Art Classes, Online Music Lessons & Adult Art Classes.
We also offer…
Discounts on music books & accessories, instrument rentals and rental space for birthday parties and special events.
UNITED FIBER has come to the SJAA! Free Wi-Fi – SJAA password “MusicAccomplished”
Academy Mission
Our mission at the St. Joseph Arts Academy is to provide the highest quality musical instruction and performance opportunities to beginning and advancing students in the Midland empire. We use our patience, enthusiasm and loyalty to encourage, inform and inspire others to happily share their skill and talent in love and gratitude to make the world a better place.
OUR MOTTO… Music Accomplished!
Thank you for reading -“Pick-Up Notes” –
Fall Newsletter from the St. Joseph Arts Academy!
It’s always a great season and they go by so fast!
Thank you for encouraging the advancing musicians in your life and in our community.
We are making the world a better place through music.
It’s fun! Thank you for that.
Jason Riley
Director
jason@stjosephartsacademy.com
8162944856 (personal cell)
Here to help! Call or text if you need anything at all.
January marks another milestone as we gratefully celebrate 6 incredible years in our commercial location! From our humble beginnings with 30 students in 2 studios, we’ve expanded and transformed into the largest private music school in Northwest Missouri.
